Improvement in water-meters



2 Sheets --Sheet l.

E. E. P. GLAUSOLLES.

AM mormmmsmrmc ca Mx (oeavnns macsss) UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE EUGENE PIERRE OLAUSOLLES, OF BARCELONA, srnm.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-METERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 136,363, dated March 4,1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE EUGENE PIERRE OLAUSOLLES, of Barcelona, Spain,have invented certain Improvements in Water-Meters, of which thefollowing is a specification:

My invention consists of certain improvements in water-meters, fullydescribed hereafter; the principal advantages of my invention being asfollows:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of theapparatus with one of the sides removed; Fig. 2, a top plan; Fig. 3, atransverse section on the line 1 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a longitudinalsection on the line 3 4, Fig. 2; Figs. 5 and 6, front views,respectively, of the dials and wheels of the register; Fig. 7, diagramsof a valve forming part of the apparatus.

The apparatus is composed of two cylinders of brass, tin, or compositemetal, A A, inclosed only at their ends B B, and placed horizontallyupon the same axis, so that their open ends shall be opposite eachother. Their lower sides rest on supports 0 O, which serve to fix themon the iron plate E, which constitutes the bed of the entire apparatus.Upon this same bed is fixed the case 1?, which hermetically incloses thewhole mechanism. In the interior of each of the cylinders slides thehollow pistons F F, well adjusted by means of thin and pliable leatherpacking H. These pistons are united by a rod, I, so that they are movedsimultaneously from one end to the other of their cylinders uniformly,but in 0pposite directions-that is to say, while one of the pistonsadvances toward the open end of its cylinder the other is travelingtoward the closed end of its cylinder. The pistons are hollow to preventtheir weight bearing upon the bottom of their cylinders so as to wearone side rather than the other; being hollow and working in thewater,-they are, so tosay, suspended in and lubricated by the water,which renders their movement very smooth. The rod which unites the twopistons has two adjustable collars, M M, between which bears a forkedlever, N, which oscillates at its lower part upon the horizontal shaft0. The movement to and fro of the pistons imparts to this lever analternate vibratory movement. The shaft 0, the ends of which turn freelyin supports R S on the bed-plate, has at its other end a counter-weightor pendulum, T, fixed upon it. This counter-weight has two lugs, U U,

between which oscillates a lever, V, the center of which is at X uponthe exit-tube. The lower extremity Y of this lever receives a circularalternate movement from the lugs U U, and at its other extremity Z itcommunicates a rectilinear alternate movement to the slidevalve a. Theoscillating movement of the counter-weight T is communicated to it bythe arm N, which to this end has a lug, b, which pushes, alternately,the lugs 0 0, so as to produce the fall of the counter-weight, therebychanging its position and that, consequently, of the slide-valve. Thevalve to, which is siniilar to those used in steam-engines, slides upona plate having three ports, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) and every time itchanges position the water already measured by one of the cylinders-thaton the left, for instance-passes to the exterior, as indicated by thearrow d, Fig. 1, while the water which enters the hydrometer by the tubef is measured in the cylinder on the right by passing through the port gand tube m and into the said cylinder, as indicated by the other arrowin Fig. 1.

The slide-valve must be a little shorter than the exterior length of theport-plate, as indicated inthe diagram, Fig. 7, in order to preventitsstopping in the middle of its course without the counter-weight beingable to carry it on. In fact, if the total length of the valve wereequal to the extreme distance of the ports, it might happen that achange of position-and when it was at the middle of its eoursewouldexactly close the two extreme orifices; and if the pressure in thehydrometer was considerable, it would be stopped in this position by thepressure of the liquid upon its whole external surface; but the momentthat the valve is shorter, as the different positions of the details,Fig. 7, indicate, the pressure of the water has no longer any influenceupon it, and it is perfectly operated by the counterweight without anyappreciable loss of water in its passage, which lasts only a fraction ofa second.

The transmission of movement to the count ing mechanism of thehydrometer, the needles of which must be moved in proportion to thenumber of cylinders and the course of the pis tons, may be very simple.

I A rack, O, is secured to and between the two pistons, and follows themin their rectilinear alternate movement. The length of the toothedportion of the rack (about seventy-eight millimeters) represents in thecylinders A A the capacity of a liter, plus an excess, which thecounterindicates also, however smallthe quantity the pistons surpass thelimits of the liter. This rack gears with a wheel, 1?, fixed to avertical shaft, Q, which carries at its other end a wheel with a doubleratchet, I, presenting a very fine gear, and mounted loosely upon ashaft with a double pawl, which carries it. The pawls are so arrangedthat when one is at. the bottom of a tooth the other acts upon the onebehind so as to mark, with the greatest possible exactitude, the volumeof the cylfindered water. To the ratchet-wheel I is attached a pinion,s, which gears with the wheel of the first registeringcylinder. When oneof the cylinders is filled with water-that on the right, forinstance--the pistons, being moved from left to right, carry in theirmovement the rack, which causes the wheel P to turn, and thus cause thetwo pawls to operate backward without marking the first watercylindered. As soon as the slide-valve changes position the water whichenters the cylinder from the right pushes the pistons toward the left,and this time they carry in their movement the rack, and turn thepinion, and consequently the ratchet-wheel, so that the counter duringthis return marks the two volumes of water cylindered, both of which arethus debited. The communication between the distributingbox and thecylinders is efiected by the two tubes m m. To deaden the shock of thecounter-weight, although it will not be considerable, since it operatesin the water, pieces of leather n and n are fixed upon the plate E. Thecounting mechanism is constructed so that the needles shall always be inproper relation to the numbers of their respective dials, and so thatthe passages from one to the other shall be made intermittently and notin a continuous way. To do this the pinions have only a single tooth,which gears with one of the ten teeth of the adjoining wheel; and it isonly after having made a complete turn that they take a new tooth. Ateach change of a tooth the needles leap from one to another number by anintermittent motion. The counting mechanism is lodged in a recess in theupper part of the case 1?, which incloses the whole apparatus. The sizeof this chamber is almost one-tenth of that which exists between theinlet for the water and the top. of the case -tl1at is to say, the partoccupied by the compressed air--so that even where the apparatus shouldwork at eight or ten atmospheres the water would not enter in thechamber con taining the clock movement of the counter.

4 In order to allow the counting mechanism to be placed entirely outsideof the case P, and to give motion to it without piercing the disk y toallow passage to any axis necessi tating a stuffing box, I can arrange amagthe counting mechanism, and transmits very faithfully to the saidcounters all the movements of the ratchet-wheel and magnet.

The apparatus operates in the following manner: The water which entersthe hydrometer bythe tube or orifice f partlyfills the case;

and, if we suppose that the distributionvalve is in the positionindicated by the plan, the water will enter by the opening g, and,passing through the tube m, will fill the cylinder on the right,exercising a pressure on its piston. The interior of the cylinder on theleft being in communication with the exit-cock, its interior pressure isless, twelve to fourteen centimeters of water, than that of the cylinderon the right, whence the destroying of the equilibrium which causes thepistons to operate. The pistons being pushed by the water, their rod, bymeans of the collar M on the right, pushes the forked lever N, andcauses it to oscillate. This lever, by means of its lower lug 11,carries simultaneously the lug c of the shaft 0, and causes it to move,as well as the counter-weight or pendulum T, which forms part of it. Alittle before the pistons arrive at the end of their course, thecounterweight T, passing the vertical, falls to the left, and the lug Ucarries the lever Y, which produces instantaneously change of positionof thevalve, and consequently the water will fill the cylinder A at theleft, while that already measured, which fills the cylinder A at theright, leaves by the cock e. The apparatus continues to operate in thesame manner, providin g there be sufficient centimeters of press ure,and its parts are lubricated by the water in which it operates,excepting, however, the

counting clock-work, which is moved in the air, as we have said, above,and which consequently is completely protected from deterioration.

That the apparatus may operate with suit able precision, its speed musthave a certain limit; and that it may not pass this limit or maximum ofspeed, the exit of the water is regulated by an obturator orhydrophragm, which is placed in the exit -cock c. This is simply ametallic washer pierced with a hole of greater or less size inproportion to the pressure of the water which is to pass into or out ofthe hydrometer.

One of the most important features of my improved hydrometer is that thewhole of the operating parts are contained within a her=metically-sealed casing, and have no communi cation whatever with theexternal air. This enables meto dispense with the usual stuffingboxes,and to therefore avoid friction; and it prevents lossof water, rendersfraud impossi ble and, besides, prevents deterioration of theregistering devices by the water, as they operate in compressed airabove the level of the said water,

I claim as my invention 1. The two cylinders A A, open at their innerends, arranged on the same axis, and so situated within an outer casingas to be surrounded by water, in combination with the two connectedpistons F F, and with the devices described, or their equivalents.

2. The combination, with the cylinders and pistons, and with the inletand outlet pipes and easing of the apparatus, of a distributingslide-valve, a, operating substantially as specified, and receiving its"movement from the pistons through the medium of the devices described,or their equivalents.

3. The combination of the shaft 0, carrying the counter-weight T foroperating the valve, its lugs c and c, the arm N with its lug b, and thecollars M M on the piston-rod, all substantially as specified.

4. The combination-of the rack O secured to and moving with the pistons,the shaft Q with its pinion and ratchet-wheel, and a train ofregistering-wheels, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. A water-meter in which the operating and indicating devices arearranged entirely within a hermetically-sealed water-chamber, as and forthe purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

Barcelona, Spain, March 27, 1872.

EMILE EUGENE PIERRE CLAUSOLLES.

Witnesses G. OBMAUD, 'AMADOR PFEIFFER.

